kulieke



F. C. KULIEKE RAILWAY CAR COUPLER March 3, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 3, 1964 F. c. KULIEKE RAILWAY CAR COUPLER Filed June 7, 1961 4 r llll .v g g m i|| N I II N l/l .1 w 6 O r 6 6 M 9 i 10/85 TE; 4 3 0 $1 L j w w: I j w J 4 w a m 2 4 Z i 2 3 2 0 ,0 2 6 2 6 2 2 I. ll-Ill' W 6 United States Patent 3,123,226 RAILWAY CAR COUPLER Frederick C. Kulieke, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,350 4 Claims. (Cl. 2.1319) The present invention relates to a railway car coupler.

An object of the invention is to provide a new railway car coupler in the construction of which a minimum number of parts are employed, and fewer parts than in previously known couplers of the same general character.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a railway car coupler of the F type in which the coupler shank has a pin hole receiving the pin of the yoke, and wherein the adjacent portion of the coupler shank is of integral construction and directly engages the pin.

Another object is to provide a railway car coupler of the general character noted in which the coupler shank may be used with old type yokes whereby the coupler shank is interchangeable with older type coupler shanks.

Another object is to provide a railway car coupler having novel construction and arrangement of parts to more efficiently withstand wear at locations where serious wearing effects would otherwise take place.

Still another object is to provide a railway car coupler in which the coupler shank is originally positioned in upwardly inclined position and later assumes a more nearly level position pursuant to wearing effects in the coupler.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detail description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view through a coupler of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially at line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the coupler shank in upwardly angled position; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the coupler shank in downwardly angled position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, attention is directed first to FIGURES 1 and 2 showing the essential parts, and relation thereof, of the coupler in the present invention. The coupler is indicated as a whole at 12 and includes a coupler shank 14, a yoke 16 in which the conventional draft gear 18 is disposed and engaging the usual follower 20. The follower 20 is provided with a forwardly facing bearing surface 22 engageable by the coupler shank, spherical about a center 24 having a predetermined position as will be explained more fully hereinbelow. The spherical bearing surface 22 appears arcuate in horizontal plane as shown in FIGURE 2.

The yoke 16 has front end portions 26 provided with apertures 28 for receiving the pin 30 in the usual manner. The pin 30 is disposed vertically for bearing support by a support plate 32 and above the upper end of the pin is a wear plate 34 secured to the car body structure 36. The wear plate 34 engages the upper surface of the yoke at the forward end thereof and the upper end of the pin. This wear plate 34 is of greater thickness than normally employed for pre-positioning the coupler shank for defining a certain relation between the center 24 and the longitudinal central axis of the coupler shank, indicated at 38. The center 24 is within the confines of the pin 30 and disposed slightly above the axis 38 a distance in the neighborhood of inch.

The coupler striker which includes a casting 40 has a pocket 42 in which three compression springs 44 are positioned laterally in line and compressed between the bottom of the pocket and a carrier casting 46 engaging the lower surface of the coupler shank and biasing the 3,123,226 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 latter upwardly. Retainers 65 hold carrier 46 at proper height against spring compression to support the coupler in level position.

The coupler shank 14 is provided with a vertical pin hole 48 receiving the yoke pin 30 and is defined by a rear surface portion 50 which is cylindrical in shape except at the extreme upper and lower extremities 52 and 54 which may be chamfered slightly as indicated at 52 and 54 where the shank engages the pin in angling movements of the shank. The pin hole 48 is elongated in front-to-rear direction, beyond full cylindrical shape, as shown clearly in FIGURE 2 and indicated in FIGURE 1, to provide extra space between the surface of the pin hole and the pin to accommodate angling movements of the shank. The front surface of the pin hole, indicated at 56 is of generally wedge shape as viewed in vertical section (FIG- URE 1) having a generally center apex 58, an upper sloping surface 60 and a lower sloping surface 62, both of these surfaces sloping forwardly from the apex.

It will be noted that the coupler shank 14 and particularly its rear portion is of integral construction, and more specifically the surfaces defining the pin hole are formed by integral portions of the shank, these surfaces directly engaging the pin without the interposition of other elements such as blocks, bearing pieces, etc. In the angling movements of the shank the rear surface 50 of the pin hole engages the pin at the upper or lower points, providing localized points of engagement relative to the full cylindrical portion 50. For example, when the coupler shank is angled upwardly as shown in FIGURE 3, the lower point 54 engages the pin and constitutes the sole portion engaging the pin and withstanding the forward thrust against the pin. The cylindrical surface portion 50 separates from the pin (FIGURE 3) at an angle relative thereto, diverging upwardly from the point 54 which is then engaging the pin. The effect of this action is bodily movement rearwardly of the coupler shank with consequent rearward movement of the follower 20 against the draft gear 18. In such upward angling movement of the coupler shank the upper sloping surface 60 approaches the forward side of the pin and may actually engage the pin in maximum angling movement of the shank. It will be noted that the vertical dimension of the shank is less than the spacing between the portions of the yoke to accommodate the greater vertical dimension of the shank in its angling movements. The shank, when angled upwardly, as in FIGURE 3, may engage one or the other of the portions of the yoke, or both, assuming exact dimensions and proportions are maintained between various elements.

When the coupler shank is angled downwardly as shown in FIGURE 4 the upper point 52 of the rear cylindrical portion 50 engages the pin and the surface portion 50 separates therefrom, forming an angle relative to the pin similar to the action of FIGURE 3 but in the opposite direction. In this case also the follower 20 will be forced rearwardly due to the effective bodily rearward movement of the shank consequent upon its angling movement. In the downward angling movement the lower sloping surface 62 does approach the surface of the pin and may engage it in maximum downward angling movement, although it is preferred that it not engage the pin.

The coupler shank is of extremely simple construction, being an integral piece, particularly in the portion defining the pin hole and the rear bearing surface 63 which engages the concave bearing surface 22. The pin hole does not have any concave surfaces, as viewed in vertical section, which facilitates forming the hole in casting operations such, for example, as eliminating the necessity for compound cores. There are fewer parts to be affected by wear and because of the greater simplicity of the construction, a great saving in cost is realized.

The coupler shank has more freedom of angling in both upward and downward directions with maximum efliciency of operation. The coupler shank can also angle in horizontal directions as in the case of couplers heretofore known.

The wear plate 34 in the present invention, and as noted above, is of greater thickness than heretofore employed being, for example, in the neighborhood of inch as compared with /2 inch as in the case of previously known wear plates, which results in depressing of the coupler shank 14 and consequent positioning of the center 24 above the longitudinal central axis 38 of the shank, a distance of approximately A; inch. This spacing of the center 24 relative to the axis results in the coupler shank being inclined upwardly toward the front a slight amount for the purpose of eliminating drooping of the coupler head as heretofore has been the case following wearing of the parts of the coupler. In the present invention the shank, when initially put in use, is inclined slightly upwardly toward the front and after a certain degree of wear has taken place the shank assumes a position approximating level position and eliminates a drooping condition.

The top surface of the shank is provided with a relatively large area indicated at 64 surrounding the pin hole that is approximately flat which engages the upper member of the yoke 16. This area experiences extreme wear in couplers and the provision of this large flat area eliminates or minimizes the disadvantageous consequences of such wear. In the normal position of the coupler shank this area 64 engages the upper member of the yoke in generally flat position with the wearing effects distributed quite generally throughout that area. Because of the large expanse of this area the wearing efliects are minimized.

I claim:

1. In a coupler arrangement, a yoke having vertically spaced front end portions provided with coaxial apertures, a coupler shank mounted between said end portions and provided with a pin hole, a cylindrical pin extending through said pin hole and apertures, said pin hole being defined by a rear surface for vertical line contact engagement with said pin, a draft gear mounted within said yoke and comprising resilient means and comprising a front follower engaging the end of said shank to yieldably resist vertical angling movement of the shank relative to the yoke.

2. In a coupler arrangement, a yoke having vertically spaced front end portions provided with coaxial apertures,

a coupler shank mounted between said end portions and provided with a pin hole, a cylindrical pin extending through said pin hole and apertures, said pin hole being defined by a rear surface for vertical line conatct engagement with said pin, a draft gear mounted within said yoke and comprising resilient means and comprising a front follower engaging the end of said shank to yieldably resist vertical angling movement of the shank relative to the yoke, said shank having a convex spherical end surface engaging a concave spherical surface on the follower.

3. In a coupler arrangement, a yoke having vertically spaced front end portions provided with coaxial apertures, a coupler shank mounted between said end portions and provided with a pin hole, a cylindrical pin extending through said pin hole and apertures, said pin hole being defined by a rear surface for vertical line contact engagement with said pin, a draft gear mounted within said yoke and comprising resilient means and comprising a front follower engaging the end of said shank to yieldably resist vertical angling movement of the shank relative to the yoke, said shank having a convex spherical end surface engaging a concave spherical surface on the follower, said spherical surfaces having a common center disposed approximately one-eighth inch above the longitudinal axis of the shank.

4. In a coupler arrangement, a yoke having vertically spaced front end portions provided with coaxial apertures, a coupler shank mounted between said end portions and provided with a pin hole, a cylindrical pin extending through said pin hole and apertures, said pin hole being defined by a rear surface for vertical line contact engagement with said pin, a draft gear mounted within said yoke and comprising resilient means and comprising a front follower engaging the end of said shank to yieldably resist vertical angling movement of the shank relative to the yoke, and a means to carry and resiliently support said shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,841,295 Blattner July 1, 1958 2,869,736 Wolfe Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 612,850 Canada Jan. 17, 1961 

3. IN A COUPLER ARRANGEMENT, A YOKE HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED FRONT END PORTIONS PROVIDED WITH COAXIAL APERTURES, A COUPLER SHANK MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID END PORTIONS AND PROVIDED WITH A PIN HOLE, A CYLINDRICAL PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PIN HOLE AND APERTURES, SAID PIN HOLE BEING DEFINED BY A REAR SURFACE FOR VERTICAL LINE CONTACT ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PIN, A DRAFT GEAR MOUNTED WITHIN SAID YOKE AND COMPRISING RESILIENT MEANS AND COMPRISING A FRONT FOLLOWER ENGAGING THE END OF SAID SHANK TO YIELDABLY RESIST VERTICAL ANGLING MOVEMENT OF THE SHANK RELATIVE TO THE YOKE, SAID SHANK HAVING A CONVEX SPHERICAL END SURFACE ENGAGING A CONCAVE SPHERICAL SURFACE ON THE FOLLOWER, SAID SPHERICAL SURFACES HAVING A COMMON CENTER DISPOSED APPROXIMATELY ONE-EIGHTH INCH ABOVE THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SHANK. 